


For All The Unexpected Ways To Know You

by KatieHavok



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Casual Sex, Eventual Relationships, Exploration, F/M, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Fumbling, Heartbreak, Hope, Hopeful Ending, How Do I Tag, Male-Female Friendship, New York City, Pining, Post-Movie 1: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-10
Updated: 2018-11-10
Packaged: 2019-08-21 14:47:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16578551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatieHavok/pseuds/KatieHavok
Summary: Tina drops her bombshell three days before Newt is set to arrive, spoken quietly and without fuss over an early supper.*Newt's visit brings with it some unexpected challenges.





	For All The Unexpected Ways To Know You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Annjushka](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Annjushka/gifts).



*

Tina drops her bombshell three days before Newt is set to arrive, spoken quietly and without fuss over an early supper.

Queenie feels her eyes widening as her sister’s Occlumency shields lower, ushering her in. Images and sounds fill her mind, interwoven with thoughts and feelings from her sister’s perspective. She sighs and sets down her spoon, appetite gone.

“Teenie,” Queenie begins, licking her lips while looking for _any_ hint of insecurity in Tina’s head, any inkling she feels this may be the _wrong_ path to take. There is some, a little — but not enough to turn Tina away from her chosen mate. The image of Percival Graves looking at her with dark eyes, his expression equal parts haunted and _haunting_ overrides all her doubts.

“I’m real happy for you,” Queenie decides and smiles broadly as Tina’s shields go back up, carefully built around the new happiness sustaining her. They eat an extra slice of pie to celebrate, gossiping over Mr. Graves and men in general while cleaning up their supper, and gather around the hearth to read their books and magazines before retiring to bed.

Queenie’s just on the cusp of sleep when she remembers Newt’s imminent arrival. She sighs heavily before rolling onto her side, recalling how sweetly he had looked at Tina during his last visit, how earnest his feelings. Tina had seemed to reciprocate those feelings — at least, until Graves was released from the healers. She’d gone to take care of him, and the axis of her thoughts had slowly shifted away from Newt to the man she’d always been sweet on.

Now Queenie was going to be burdened with explaining to a man who wore his heart on his sleeve, who had thought of making an official proposal to Tina more than once, that she had chosen her former mentor and friend over _him_. It’s a sobering realization, and it’s enough to keep Queenie awake until just before dawn, where she finally slips into a thin and restless sleep.

*

Queenie steps into Kowalski Quality Baked Goods the following morning hoping for succor, and finds only heartbreak.

She knows immediately that something is wrong when Jacob looks at her, eyes sliding unseeing over her figure before moving away. He frowns beneath his neat mustache, and Queenie digs into the meat of his mind despite herself to find a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions, all centering around a washed-out, dough-faced blonde who tearfully asked for forgiveness before guiding his hand to her swollen belly.

Queenie recoils from his mind on instinct, taking a step back as her heart drops into her shoes. Jacob turns at the same moment to speak over his shoulder, and she sees the same woman is there, looking pale and lost as she fumbles to restock a tray of pastries. He patiently helps her, the words _Mildred_ and _baby_ and _God, I don’t want this_ floating to Queenie in ragged tendrils before she turns and flees, the merry jingle of the bell over the door seeming to mock her.

She doesn’t look back.

*

Two days later finds Queenie at the docks, alone. She had thought to ask Tina along but she could see that her sister simply wasn’t _interested_ , too invested in helping her Mr. Graves work through a particularly trying series of nightmares.

“Send Newt my regards,” she says absently while shrugging into her jacket. Queenie murmurs agreement while staring at her shoes, the familiar ache of loss compressing her chest.

The sky spits sleet while Queenie hovers in a guarded corner, wand raised to create an ethereal umbrella as the planks are lowered and passengers stream out. She keeps her mind open in a wide net, casting about for the familiar hum of his thoughts until — _there_. Her mind hooks around his with practiced ease, and she waits until he’s filled with relief for making it through customs before sashaying to him, plastering on a wide, fake smile.

“Mr. Scamander,” she greets with a curtsy.

Newt dips his chin in greeting, a shy but pleased smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He’s too polite to ask aloud why she is there and Tina is not, but Queenie can hear it anyway. She squeezes his shoulder before threading her arm through his with a giggle. “Teenie will be along later,” she deflects glibly, steering him toward the New York crush. “Whaddya say we go get you some breakfast? I can hear your stomach growling from here!”

“Oh, um — alright,” Newt agrees, and conjures an umbrella broad enough to shield them both before allowing her to lead him through the city streets.

*

Tina arrives later that evening, just in time to join them for a roast.

Queenie devotes an eye and a corner of her mind to Newt and Tina both over the course of the meal, watching as Tina draws further and further away, listening in as the confused jumble of Newt’s thoughts mellows into certainty: _she doesn’t want me. I’m certain now she never did, and I was a fool to hope otherwise._

Newt is staring hard at his placemat by the time dessert rolls around, while Tina wears the prickly mask reminiscent of their first meeting. His hands curl into fists when Queenie distributes slices of pie before meeting her sister’s eyes levelly. “Just tell him, Teenie.” She can’t help the frostiness of her tone, though Tina doesn’t seem to notice.

Instead, Tina pushes back a sheaf of dark hair and talks to her fork. “Mr. Graves asked me to move in with him,” she says in a low voice. Newt angles his head to watch her from the corner of his eye, and Queenie listens in as his whirling thoughts come to a complete halt before snapping into a cacophony of sounds and colors, reexamining their previous interactions in an attempt to make sense of this new information.

 _Oh_. Their first parting plays through his head, the sense-memory of her cheek beneath his fingertips. His eyes are bright when he glances up at Tina, who’s watching him with a strained expression, but Queenie can sense the genuine warmth and good-will beneath his words in spite of his current pain. “I wish you both the best,” he murmurs. His jaw flexes when he exhales sharply before standing, pushing in his chair while actively avoiding eye contact. “And now if you’ll excuse me, I should go. I—”

Tina springs to her feet, tripping in her haste to fetch her jacket. “In that case, I’d better get back to Mr. Graves. He’s not used to being alone.”

Newt’s face hardens, and Queenie’s heart breaks a little when _are you that desperate to see the back of me, then?_ streaks across his mind, as hot and bright as a meteor. Tina refuses to meet either of their eyes as she slips out of the apartment, pounding down the stairs and slamming the front door behind her. Newt winces at the sound, his knuckles white around the handle of his case.

Tendrils of Newt’s _hurt disappointment rejection_ curl through the apartment, making Queenie’s eyes prickle uncomfortably. She watches his shoulders slump when he stares at the door, squeezing his eyes shut before turning to her. “Forgive me, Miss Goldstein. It seems we’ve ruined a perfectly pleasant evening.”

The combined weight of their grief proves to be too much. She sniffles loudly as tears begin to course down her cheeks, scrubbing at her eyes until Newt cautiously approaches to offer a handkerchief. He avoids looking at her when he passes it over, trying to spare her embarrassment as she clutches his hand and mops her tears before delicately blowing her nose.

“I’m sorry,” she murmurs after a time, when the pain has faded somewhat and she feels she can speak again. “I don’t mean to blat all over you, but between what just happened and everything going on with Jacob, my heart aches all the time. Sometimes it’s just gotta come out, you know?”

Newt lifts his head to look at her directly, his eyes wide. “What happened to Jacob?”

Queenie dabs at the corner of her eyes to stall for time, composing herself as his mind whirls. “It ain’t nothin’ bad,” she begins, lip quivering in direct contradiction to her words. “It’s just...he’s gettin’ married, Newt, and he has a baby on the way already. I go into his bakery at least twice a week, but he doesn’t remember me anymore and even if he does _later_ , it’s too late _now_.”

She flinches at the renewed sting of Newt’s doubts before folding into herself. “Jacob’s getting married, Tina’s movin’ out, and now you regret even coming to see us, though you’re _my_ friend too. I’m feeling a little unwanted right now, is all.”

His fingers squeeze hers hesitantly. “I’m sorry,” he says in a low voice. “I... I don’t mean to make you feel worse, and I don’t regret coming to see you.” He tries on a smile as weak as water, catching her eyes before he goes on. “You are my friend, and I’m glad to be here, truly.” He nods as he projects the truth of his feelings into her head, causing her to release a warbling sigh. “I would have appreciated some warning of all this before I arrived, because I had hoped to ask... I’d wanted to ask Tina...well, it isn’t important now. I can only hope Tina makes her Mr. Graves happy, and he does the same for her.”

Queenie smiles at him, feeling his mind begin to settle as he processes everything that’s happened. His smile strengthens in return, and he glances down at their joined hands before awkwardly releasing her, his shoulders relaxing. She scrubs her palm over the front of her dress, trying to rub away the feel of his calluses before reaching for his case. “You planned on stayin’, right? So...why don’t you stay anyway, just for old time’s sake?”

Newt comes up short at that, looking at her with wide eyes before dipping his head. “I... I suppose I could. If you insist, Miss Goldstein.”

She flicks her wand to change the sheets on Tina’s bed before grinning at him. “You should call me Queenie if we’re gonna sleep together,” she teases, and pretends not to notice his fierce blush before proceeding him into the bedroom.

*

The following month sees an unexpected and strange, though by no means unwelcome, shift in the axis of Queenie’s life.

She brings Newt around to the bakery once or twice that first week, but she can tell that seeing their friend hurts him almost as profoundly as it hurts her. He takes her with him on his New York explorations instead, treating her to mid-day excursions in Central Park or subway peanuts between appointments and book signings, only to cook when they arrive back at the apartment on his insistence.

Newt’s third week in New York is only slightly dampened by a rainstorm that sweeps in off the ocean, drenching the city until it seems bleached and renewed outside the brownstone’s window. He spends the time working on his notes for a new edition of his book, and is always there to greet Queenie with a slow smile and a quick helping hand when she trudges through the door to kick her shoes off her aching feet.

“You’re lucky you’re so tall,” she grumbles, and is rewarded with the sort of stammering she’d only witnessed from him in the presence of her sister. She ponders his behavior all throughout dinner, dessert, and their customary post-supper dance, until finally admonishing herself for being ridiculous and reading too far into it before rolling over to sleep.

*

Four weeks after arriving and one day before leaving, Queenie thinks, _Mercy, you_ **_are_ ** _tall!_ as she clings to his shoulders, their mouths moving together in sweet harmony when he kisses her. His lips are slightly chapped and warm against hers and she can’t help but scold herself a little — _tongue kissing on the first date, what would Teenie think?_ — before Newt breaks away to rest his cheek against hers, gasping.

“This wasn’t quite what I had in mind when I came here,” he mumbles after a time, sounding astounded, “but I’m really not complaining. Queenie—”

“I want to do this,” she says in his ear, his eyes fluttering closed when she pushes her fingers into his hair. “With you. No, I’m not going to regret it, and yes — I know this ain’t what we originally wanted, but…”

Newt’s eyes open and land on her. “But we don’t always get what we want,” he says aloud, turning a nebulous thought into solid reality.

“Yes,” she breathes before hauling him in for more.

*

They stumble through the apartment door in a cacophony of shoes and giggles, shedding their outer layers before Queenie hooks her fingers around his and leads him to the bedroom.

Her bed creaks a warning when they impact the mattress, but she ignores it in favor of tugging at his shirt. His fingers trail cautiously along her thighs to slip beneath the hem of her dress, and she moans in delight when he plucks at her garters before sinking into her mouth. Their breathing syncs into the same rapid, staccato rhythm when she wrestles with the buttons on his fly, and Newt doesn’t have to open his mouth to ask if she is sure — she can drink it straight from his head, the combination of _want_ and _need_ and tender, cautious affection as clever fingers find her most sensitive spots.

“Do it, baby,” she breathes in his ear when he hesitates.

Newt makes a low sound when she nips his earlobe before pressing forward. Her body slicks the way, sealing them together in a whisper of fabric as she clings to him, breathing through the heady relief of finally being _whole_. He breathes out slowly before leaning their foreheads together, finding her eyes and lacing their fingers as he gently finds their rhythm.

They move together in a milieu of grasping limbs and shifting sighs, her aging mattress counting the beats until she climaxes on a long, slow wave of pleasure, tossing her head back to cry out as Newt eases her through it before withdrawing. He ruts against the juncture of her thigh before finding his own end with a low moan, and she can’t bring herself to be upset about the inevitable stains on her dress when he nuzzles her hair before carefully collapsing atop her, panting.

“Well, one thing’s for certain,” Newt murmurs after a time, watching her with dark eyes. “I’m not bound to forget this trip any time soon.”

Queenie cradles his cheek before guiding his head to her breast, humming her thanks when he slumps at her side. “I ain’t _never_ gonna forget,” she murmurs, and kisses the top of his head when his eyes flutter closed.

*

Newt holds her against his chest until the ship’s last call sounds throughout the harbor.

Queenie looks up at him when they finally part, doing her best to hide the unexpected tears pricking her eyes. “You’ll write, won't you?” she asks, hating herself for sounding so needy but unable to keep from securing the promise of _something_ from him.

He reaches for her with a smile before gently dragging his thumb along her jaw. “I can do you one better,” he says quietly. “I’ll need to swing back through America on my way to Brazil, and I was thinking, maybe you’d like it if I came to visit you again?” _Maybe you can even come with me_ hangs unspoken between them.

She beams up at him before catching his hand to lay a kiss on his palm. “We don’t gotta put labels on whatever this is,” she says softly, “but yeah, honey. I’d like that a lot.”

Newt moves closer to gently kiss her lips, finding her eyes. He smiles and she is powerless but to smile back when he moves away, crossing to the gangplank and scaling it before looking over his shoulder. Queenie blows him a kiss, and he pretends to catch it before showing a wobbly smile and ducking into the hull.

She watches the ship pull away from the pier and steam out of the harbor, keeping her eyes on where she last saw him until he is nothing more than a distant speck on the horizon, quickly blending into the chrome sky.

*

“So...you and Newt, huh?”

Queenie looks up from where she’s been absently removing her coat to find Tina watching her from behind a copy of _The New York Ghost_ , the table already set for lunch. A flick of her wand brings the food over, and Queenie rubs her inexplicably sweaty palms together before taking a seat and delicately probing at Tina’s Occlumency shields.

“I’m happy for you, you know,” Tina goes on around a mouthful of chicken salad. “And I’m glad he’s going to remain in the family, even if it isn’t with me.” She sighs before setting down her sandwich. “Just...don’t hurt him, okay? I know this thing with Mr. Graves did; he doesn’t need to come to hate both Goldstein sisters. He’s still my friend, too _._ ”

Queenie swallows a bite of food before clasping Tina’s hand. “It’s too early to say for sure,” she says softly, “but you don’t gotta worry about us. I have no intention of hurting him, and I know what he thinks and feels about me. I think we’ll be good together.”

Tina gives her a quick, one-armed hug before allowing Queenie to cross over to the sink. “As long as you’re happy,” she says with a soft smile.

“I am,” Queenie says honestly, and looks out to where the bay would be if there weren’t buildings in the way, allowing her mind to drift back to Newt as she washes up from lunch.

*

**Author's Note:**

> For Annjushka, who prompted me: _For the kiss prompts, could you do Newt & Queenie, 17.) height difference kisses where one person has to bend down and the other is on their tippy toes?_ I wanted to explore a non-combative Queenewt dynamic, mostly just to see if I could make it work. Now that that's out of my system, we'll return to our regularly scheduled Newtina fics! ;)
> 
> Come shout at me on Tumblr [@katiehavok](http://katiehavok.tumblr.com) if that's your thing.


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